Do steroid pills work?

the same way the steroid epidurals do chemically? I have an appt. for an epidural for lower back pain, but thinking of canceling it because I am "allergic " to steroids. I've only had them in pill form. Does any one out there know if it's safe to take the injection? Thanks any ideas welcome

Responses (6)

Good question! I'm almost positive the body breaks it down differently when it's injected in the spinal canal. It doesn't enter the bloodstream the way oral meds do. Please call the doc ahead of time and ask for sure. There may be a different med they can use. There's several different ones for the spine. Some are for inflammation others are more of a numbing agent. But double check with the doc beforehand. Cathleen, I know you worry a lot, but it really will help the pain. When is the appt? If you don't get an answer ahead of time, at least go to the appt and ask then. If he doesn't put your mind at ease you can always cancel and come up with another plan. Be brave! You can get through this, I just know it. :-)

I know when I get my injections, there are 3 or 4 different medicines that are used. Verify that the pain doc uses xray equipment to determine the correct placement of the medicine. I am sure all docs are different. Mine gives me a valium to relax me a little bit. I receive facet blocks & epidurals. With epidurals, you will feel the medicine go all the way to your toes. Afterwards use ice packs often for the first day or two. Be patient, sometimes it takes a week before you feel a difference & for some reason (& this is just what happens with me), sometimes I get more relief than other times. Wishing you success with your treatments.

eyes, I know the injections all too well. And you're right. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. I had a doctor switch up the meds and didn't tell me. That numbing agent he used really worked wonders! I asked him later what was different last time and he told me about the med switch. I wasn't too happy because they never asked about allergies! But those injections lasted a full 4 months! I was amazed. So much has changed over the years. In the beginning, I had to go to the hospital for outpatient care. Used an IV for making me sleepy, etc. 6-8 procedures later, I was driving myself because they wouldn't give ANY meds to relax me at all! And these were done in the office.

I agree caringson! These days you can get your appendix removed in the waiting room of the doc's office! Well, not that bad yet. But the days of in-patient care and procedures are over. The more they do in the office, the more the insurance companies reward these doctors. It's a real shame.

Mel, sometimes with these injections they do them in series of 2,3, sometimes 4 times spaced a few weeks apart. It depends on what the doc orders. Some injections they wait much longer in between, the ones Cathleen is getting apparently can be given closer together.

Hi mel ander. Last week I only got the ones that go into the muscle. Now they want to do the epidural into the spine. That's the steroid I'm worried about. The doctor prescribed Medol a weeks regimine of a steroid and I immediately started crying. That's what I mean by allergy, ok it's not a real allergy, it's a reaction though, and since my depressions get very bad I'd rather have the pain than the depression. the simple muscle shots did not give me a reaction. hope that clears things.

What kind of reaction do you have to steroid pills? It is very, very unusual to have a true allergic reaction to a steroid. They use steroids to combat allergic reactions to other drugs! I was told I had an allergic reaction to an injected steroid by one Dr, years ago, then later was told it is virtually impossible to be allergic to steroids by seceral other Drs. I then found out it wasn't the steroid, it was a preservative in the injectable steroid. The steroids they use in the epidural space contain no preservatives. Let me know what kind of reaction you have when you take the pills and I'll be able to tell you more.

Hi DzooBaby, by allergic reaction I mean i have bad reaction, crying, thought of suicide, that sort of thing. I have a diagnosis of depression, but thank goodness it's under control (for the moment) and I don't want to do anything stupid by setting off another episode. My doctor prescribed Medol pills and I took 3, and instantly within 3 hours started crying, and I knew it was the steroid. So I'm wondering will the epidural steriod cause the same reaction as the pills? thanks,

Although it is a reaction for certain, it is not an allergic reaction. An allergic reaction would be swelling, rash, difficulty breathing, swelling of the face, lips, tongue. Those kinds of things. You have more of an intolerance or even a side effect. Corticosteroids stimulate your fight or flight response for one thing, they increase the heart rate, blood pressure, cause insomnia and that kind of thing. Also corticosteroids have a side effect of psychotic behaviors, usually in higher doses, but it happens. It states in contraindications to use cautiously in people with emotional instability and those with psychotic tendencies-not that I'm saying you have those but you may just be more sensitive to the emotional effects of steroids. Although they say that with epidural administration you dont get a lot of the effects you with see with systemic adminisration like taking them by mouth or in a regular intramuscular injection.

With epidural administration the drug is contained in the epidural space and acts within that space, not systemically. If I were you, I would call and talk to the Dr or one of the nurses in the outpatient procedure area where they are going to perform the procedure and voice your concerns to them. Tell them your history with these medications and tell them your fears. Be sure you do this at a time when they can sit and speak with you, not in the minutes before the procedure when they are trying to keep a time schedule. You may even want to make another appointment just to talk about your questions, yes, it is another copay, but it may be worth it! Make sure they address your concerns before you go through the procedure. Tell them that it may not be a big deal to them because they see these done every day but to you it is a big deal and you want to be sure you have as much knowledge to make an 'informed decision' as to whether or not you feel this is the right thing to do for your body. If your questions are not answered to your satisfaction then wait to do the procedure until they are. There are a lot of good references on line you can go to for information on the treatments for pain. Lets see, there is the American Pain Foundation, the American Pain Society, Natuional Institute of Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, Spine Health.com and others-google back pain and you will find all kinds of sites to research from. I tend to like the ones that are the pain assoc and foundations and sites that are "dot-gov" some sites just want to sell you some cure so be careful where you get your info but there are a lot of really good sites where you can download pain logs and things you can print out and bring to your Dr to show how your pain is day to day and how it effects your activities. One or two of those sites have these things available. Pain diaries are good tools to bring to the table. Epidurals are not without complications and you should carefully consider. Talk to your Dr about how many he does every month or year and for how long he's been doing them. Dont let anyone touch your back who does not perform them under fluoroscopy or live xray. That is the only way they can be sure they are in the right area is to do under fluoroscopy! Most do, but some dont and I would not consider someone who doesn't use fluoroscopy. I hope this helps some Cathleen. You can always send me something private if you want as well.

I just want to encourage you to be proactive in finding out all you can from the doctor I am in almost the same position with my back I am going to have to see a specialist and before they start with injections I have a lot of questions, its one thing to suffer and then you have the right to understand what they are doing and why, I wish you the best of luck-as Chris says you can do this --

In my case the epidural injection I had in the cervical region of my neck was the best thing in the world. It totally relieved the pain I was experiencing in my shoulder and down my arm as the result of having a pinched nerve. In addition, its been over 2 years and I'm still pain free in that regards. I suggest you do a bit more research, be brave and give it a try.